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Ansonia moves forward on $10M-plus Citywide fields plan centered on Nolan Field
Summary
City staff presented a plan to concentrate more than $10 million in recreation funding at Nolan Field — including a $6.8M turf-and-field package and $1.2M reserved for buildings — and asked the Board of Aldermen to form a small subcommittee and finalize engineering work in early 2024.
The Ansonia Board of Aldermen on Tuesday heard a detailed presentation on a Citywide recreation plan that would recast Nolan Field as the city’s primary multi-use complex, officials said. City engineers described a proposal that would install artificial turf usable for football, baseball, softball and soccer, upgrade lighting to LED, add a small turf baseball field and repair courts and ancillary fields across the system.
The plan’s fieldwork was estimated at about $6.8 million, with an additional $1.2 million set aside for building work such as a concession stand, public restrooms and storage, Ron (engineer) said during the presentation. “This would be the crown jewel of Ansonia,” he said, describing a facility intended to support high-school and city recreation programs and to extend playable hours with LED lighting.
City staff said an RFQ (request for qualifications) is already out to bring a second engineering firm to work with the city’s engineers to refine designs, review costs and prepare bid specifications. John Marini told the board he expects refined plans and bid-ready documents in time for a January–February work program and said the selected engineers would work with the Board of Education on potential additional funding sources.
Board members asked detailed questions about drainage, lifecycle costs and maintenance. Ron said manufacturers commonly warranty turf for about eight years and estimated a full replacement could cost roughly a third of the initial construction — “on the order of $800,000” for turf replacement in 8–10 years, depending on the scope. He also described a planned edge drain and other drainage measures to mitigate runoff near the embankment behind certain fields.
Officials discussed two options for building needs: (1) use $1.2 million to renovate Kennedy Fieldhouse and concession areas, or (2) spend about $600,000 to build a new centralized concession/public-restroom/storage building at the north end of Nolan and use remaining funds to improve Kennedy. Staff said the 30% design phase will present those options with more precise cost estimates.
Because of the scale of work and the need for frequent coordination, staff asked the Board to designate a small subcommittee to work closely with engineers and school-district representatives. Several aldermen volunteered to be considered for that group as staff proceeds with RFQ evaluations and the 30% design phase. No final construction contract was approved at the meeting; staff framed the discussion as a next-step authorization to proceed with engineering and subcommittee formation.
Next steps: staff will complete RFQ evaluations, select the additional engineering firm, present a 30% design (including the two building options) and return to the Board for further direction and final approvals toward bidding and construction.
